Guard rail



Dec. 22 1925- STEPHENS GUARD RAIL Filed Jan. 30, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1H. STEPHENS GUARD RAIL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30. 1923 INVENTOR.

A TORNEYS Patented ec. 22, 1925.

g 1,566,443 1 UNITEDf STATES TENTo FICE.

HENRY STEPHENS, 0F, CL VELAND, onro, ASSIGNOR To THE INTERSTATE RAILWAYSUPPLY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF' OHIO.

GUARD RAIL.

Application filed January 30, 1923. Serial No. 615,855. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HE -RY STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Guard Rails, of

which the following is a specification, the principle of the inventionbeing herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplatedapplying that principle, so as to distinguish itfrom other inventions.

The present invention relates j to: guard rails for railroadconstruction and more particularly to a guard rail of the. type whichfurnishes a supporting. base for the bottom of the main rail, the basebeing formed integrally with the guard rail. More particularly thepresent guard rail embodies certain features of construction whereby theoverall length of the rail is kept at a minimum. and yet a constructionwhich allows either end to be used in front of the frog point. Theconstruction is suchas to give gr'eatstrength and durability with. theleast amount of metal possible. To the accomplishment'of the foregoingand related ends, said invention, then consists of the means hereinafterfully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. f Theaccompanying drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain -'1'116ChZLI1lSII1 embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which theprinciple of the invention may be used.

In said accompanyingdrawing:

Fig. 1 is aplan View of my improved guard rail; Fig. 2'isaside'elevation of. the same; Figs. 3, 4 and '5 are sectional viewsonthe lines 33, 4-4, and 5-5 respec-.

tively of Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 is a plan view of a track crossover. andfrog point showing the position of the guard rail relative to the frogpoint. g h

In the present construction, one rail of a track is illustrated, therail 1 being mounted above the usual. wooden ties 2, the guard rail 8asv a unit beingformed with transversely extending base plates4 whichrest upon the ties and extend under therail 1, the base plates havingspike receiving apertures '5 for securing the two rails in position.

The main rail 1 is of the usual construction having a head 6, a verticalweb "I and base 8. The guard rail?) is preferablyan integral castingandv comprises an upper or head port on 9: havlng a vertical-web 10,

the head and web having a central "straight section and two outwardlycurved end portions, At spaced points along the guard rail theverticalweb 10 is extended downwardly intothe base plates 4 which extendunderneath the main rail, thus forming supporting piers.

.To add strength to theguard rail, the partsabove the base plates arereenforced by flanges or webs, there being two triangular shapedreenforcing-flanges 11 which extend from the guard rail head 9 totheouter edge of each base'plate 4 and two smaller rectangular shapedflanges .12 extending from underneath the rail head 9 to each baseplate. 4 on the inner side of the rail. These latter two'flanges 12 arespaced within the other two flanges 11.. The guardrail be- 1 tween eachtwo base plates is supplied with' a reenforcing flange. .13 on theinside and the lower edge of the vertical web is formed into ahorizontal iflange 14which extends I from oneflange 11 to the adjacentflange 11 on the next base'plate and these flanges .14 are curvedoutwardly at their ends to form arcuate horizontal reenforcing portions15 adjacent the flanges 11' as best 5 shown in Fig. 1. These parts are,of course,

formed together as a single casting but due .tothe reenforcing flangesthe structure is very rigid and strong; tween the base plates arestrengthened by .the horizontal flange 14 and the corner por- Thesections betions 15 as well as by the small vertical flanges 13 on theinside while the guard .rail head is very strongly braced at the base.plates by the two large triangular vertical webs as flanges 11 on theoutside or away .from the main rail, and by the two in- 'wardlyextending Webs or flanges 12.

24: passing through an aperture in the central part of the vertical web22 where it fits between the flanges 12 and a suitable apertui'e formedin the vertical web of the guard rail.

The present guard rail presents great stren th as the rail part properis of Z bar shape and by means of the webs or flanges at the base platesthe guard rail is strongly braced, the flanges or webs 11 beingcompression braces while the other webs 12 act as tension braces. Theuse of the horizontal flange of the rail 2 bar with the horizontalcorner braces 15 makes a horizontal arch construction of great strengthwith a minimum amount of metal. The base plates which with the bracesform the supporting piers are extremely rigid and hold both the mainrail and the guard rail securely. If desired, the inner face of theguard rail head 9 may be hardened to reduce wear and this is desirablein guard rails for certain uses.

In using guard rails it has been found necessary to have the guard railextend approximately four feet ahead of the frog point and the straightportion of the guard rail or the portion parallel. to the main rail mustextend ahead of the frog point at least a distance equal to the distancebetween ties. Consequently integrally formed or unit type guard railswhich have base plates for supporting the main rail have been made longenough to extend over five ties, the ends of the guard rail resting onthe end ties and having the center point opposite the frog point on thecenter tie as the frog point is always located ona tie. By so making aguard rail the straight portion extending ahead of the frog point isequal to the distance between ties and the further extending curvedportion equal to the distance between ties. Thus the portion of theguard rail parallel to the main rail is approximately'twice as long aseither curved end as there is as much straight portion behind the frogpoint as in front thereof.

. In thepresent guard rail the length is reduced-and the rail spans onlyfour ties but overhangs slightly at each end. The present guard rail maybe. consideredns of three sections, two outer curved sections a and acentral straight section 6, each section being of approximately the samelength.

In use as illustrated in Fig. 6, the present guard rail for eitheroutside track 49 is placed with the rear end of the central section-bopposite the frog point 50, that is with the frog point opposite therear part of the straight portion and, as the two interior base platesrest on ties 51 and 52, with one interior base plate on the tie 51opposite the frog point 50 and two piers or base plates ahead thereof.By thus arranging the straight and curved portions it has been foundpossible to -furnish a reversible guard rail of approximately six feetin lengthequally as satisfactory in use as former guard rails of abouteight feet in length. Thus the total weight is reduced and the costwithout sacrificing strength or rail protection as it is only in frontof the frog point that the rail is necessary.

(Ether modes ofapplying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided. the means stated by any of the fol lowingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

1 therefore particularly point out and .dis tinctly claiml as myinvention l. A guard rail for a switch frog adapted to be secured tofour cross ties, having a short central tangent portion of a lengthapproximately equal to the distance from the frog point to the throat ofthe frog, and a wing portion of substantially equal length thereto ateach end of said tangent portion, integral plates formed atapproximately the meeting line of thetangent with each wing portion andadjacent the outer ends of each wing portion, where by said guard railmay have. the greater portion of the tangent section and one Wingsection disposed in advance of the frog point of a switch a distance oftwo ties, integral compression braces formed vertically on the outerfaces of said guard rail in alignment with said plates and tensionbraces integrally formed on the inner face of said guard rail invertical alignment with said plates.

2. A guard rail comprising a series of base plates and a rail .of Z-barshape formed integrally therewith having a continuous vertical web andhaving its head section. projectingtoward the running rail, and bracesbetwen said rail bar andbase plates comprising two compression webs onthe outside of said Z-bar and two. tension webs .on the inside of saidZ-bar at each base plate.

3. A guard rail comprising-an extending rail ofZ-shape having aheadsection projecting toward the running rail and a continuous vertical.web, a series ofsupporting piers, formed integrallytherewith, saidpiers comprising base plates adapted to extendunder a main rail andoutwardly beyond the 'uard rail, compression braces extending from theguard rail headto such outwardly extending. base plates, and tensionbraces extending from under saidrail head to said baseplatesonutheinside. of said guard rail.

4. In guard rail construction, a unitary flange, a plurality of piersformed integrally along said rail and adapted to form the supports forsaid rail, said piers comprising a base plate of'inverted T sectionprovided with compression webs on theoutside and tension webs on theinside and running rail a continuous vertical web and an outwardlyextending lower horizontal flange, a plurality of piers formedintegrally alongisaid rail and adapted to form the supports for saidrail, said piers comprising a base plate of inverted T section providedwith two compression webs on the outside and two tension webs on theinside and formed with corner braces connecting Wllih. saidlower'horizontal flange of the rail.

6.In guard rail construction, a unitary structure comprising a guardrail of Z shape having a rail head projecting toward the running rail, acontinuous Vertical web and an outwardly extending lower horizontalflange, a plurality of piers formed integrally along said rail andadapted to form the supports for said rail, said piers comprising a baseplate of inverted T section provided with two compression Webs on theoutside extending from the rail head to the base plate and two tensionwebs on the inside extending from underneath said rail head to said baseplate and spaced closer together than said compression webs, and formedwith corner braces connecting with said lower horizontal flange of saidrail.

Signed byme this 24th day of January,

.HENRY STEPHENS.

